Car-coupling



(No Model.) v v 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

E. S. MEALS.

GAR COUPLING. No. 463,768. Patnted Nov. 24, 189.1.

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E. s, MEALS. GAR COUPLING.

2 sheets shet 2.

Patented Nov. 24, 1891.

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UNITED STATES I PATENT @rrics.

EZRA S. MEALS, OF HARRISBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 463,768, dated November 24, 1891. Application filed February 13, 1891. Serial No. 881,317. (No model.)

T0 at whomit may concern:

Be it known that I, EZRA S. MEALS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Harrisburg, in the county of Dauphin and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Car Couplers, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

My invention has for its object to provide a novel car-coupler of simple construction which will afiord an elastic or yielding con-.

view. Fig. 4 is a partial plan view of a pair of couplers represented in coupled and uncoupled positions in full and dotted lines. Fig. 5 is a horizontal sectional view, and Fig. 6 a partial rear side View.

A denotes a suitable frame, which may be a part of a car or car-platform, and B the coupler draw-bar, having preferably detachably secured thereto the rigid'coupling-hook Z). Pivoted t0 the draw-bar B by a bolt 19 is a coupling and uncoupling lever 0, having an arm 0 normally housed in a recess in the head of the draw-bar, said lever 0 being provided with an operating arm or handle 0', rigidly attached thereto in any suitable manner, as by bolts 0 To the arm 0 is loosely-jointed a draw-rod d, passing through a central aperture in the draw-bar and encircled air-its rear end by the springs c and e. The spring 6, which is a very heavy onesay a two-ton springis inclosed between sliding plates f and'f', movable in a suitable recess in the frame A, and the comparatively-light spring 6' is interposed between the outer plate f and a pin d on the draw-rod d. The heavy spring 6 encircles the light spring e, and the latter, which is longer than the former, passes clearly in Fig. 5.

The ends of the rigid hooks b of the drawheads or draw-bars B are rounded olf in such a manner that when two couplers are abutted together each will yield laterally somewhat (the draw-bars being somewhat loosely mounted in their supporting-frames) to permit the said hooks to become engaged with each other, the spring-actedlevers 0 opening outward in opposition to the stress of their closing springs e when they are impinged against by said hooks. The jar caused by the impact of the hooks b, as the latter come together in coupling, is softened by the heavy spring 6, which is compressed by said impact, the outer plate f sliding in the frame Ato permit the compressionofsaidspring. \Vhenthecouplersarethus engaged and the train is started, the draft immediately comes on the rod d, firstffiazusin g the pin d to entirely compress the springe against the inner p'latef (or against the springcif the plate f be omitted) and then drawing said plate against the heavy spring (2, so that on starting the train the starting-jar as one car moves another is softened by the springs e and e, but more particularly by the latter. So long as there is any draft on the couplers the levers O are held rigid in the positions denoted by full lines in Figs. 2 and 4:, thereby rendering it impossible for the rigid hooks b of the draw-bars or draw-heads to become disengaged from each other, the arms 0 of the said levers being at this time drawn against abutting walls in the interiors of the said draw-heads.

When the draft on the couplers is relaxed and the springs assume their normal positions, the levers 0 only receive the stress of the light springs e, so that the said levers mayreadily be turned to the positions shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2 to uncouple two engaged couplers, the arms 0 serving in such case to force the hooks b of the opposite couplers out of their coupled positions. In this uncoupling operation the levers 0 swing out and both couplers are moved somewhat laterally, as denoted by dotted lines in Fig. 4:, to permit the hooks thereof to become disengaged.

In uncoupling, the levers C may be actu- .ferent heights.-

ated directly by their rigidly-attached operating arms or handles a, or they may be actuated indirectly by levers C, placed on the opposite sides of the cars and suitably connected with said arms or handles, as by rods 0 or in any other suitable manner.

To permit my improved coupler to be used in connectionwith ordinary bull-nose pinand-link couplers, the hooks b are each provided with inclosed slots'b into either of which a link can be entered, and with a hole b for the reception of a coupling-pin. lhe two slots 11 one above the other, are to provide for convenient coupling with cars of dif- The slots 6 and hole Z7 are central relative to the longitudinal axis of the draw-bar, or approximately so, so that the coupling-links will be central of the drawbar to cause the draft to be central. Should a hook I) be accidentally broken off from a coupler, provision is made for still connecting the broken coupler with a pin-and-link coupler by making a second coupling-pin hole Z) in the draw-head back of the hookreceiving recess thereof, the arm 0 of the lever 0 being, properly shaped, so that it will leave room for the coupling-link to be entered into the draw-head far enough to enable it to he engaged by a coupling-pin inserted in said hole 11*.

B making the rigid hooks b separate from the coupler-heads and detachably securing them thereto, as by bolts 11 it is evident that should one of these hooks become broken it may be readily removed and replaced by another without causing the loss of the whole coupler-head. The coupler-heads may be supported to any suitable parts of the platforms or cars by chains, as g.

Having thus described my invention, I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. A car-coupler consisting of the combination,with a hollow draw-bar 13, provided with a rigid hook Z), of a lever C, pivoted to the a rigid hook b, of a lever O, pivoted to the head of said draw-bar at the side thereof opposite said hook, said lever having an uncoupling-arm 0, arranged to be swung outward into the recess of said hook,a rigid operating arm or handle 0 on said lever, a draw-rod (1, having a jointed or loose connection with the said arm 0, the sliding plates f and f, and the heavy and light springs e and e, encircling said rod, the former thereof being arranged between said plates, substantially as setforth.

3. A coupler draw-bar B,provided with the disengaging-lever O, pivoted thereto, and with the rigidly-secured but removable hook I), whereby should said hook he accidentally broken off it maybe replaced by another similar one to co-operate with said lever without loss of the whole draw-bar, substantially as set forth.

4. The coupler draw-bar B, having the rigid hook b,provided with the two hook-receiving slots 5 atdilferent heights, and the hole I)" for the reception of a coupling-pin, the head of said draw-bar having also the hole 12 rearward of its hook-recess, so that a link connection may still be made therewith should the said hook bbe broken off,substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

E. S. MEALS.

XVitnesses:

- WM. WOLF,

W. O. TAYLOR. 

